The holiday season is upon us, and students and teachers at Edison Intermediate School (EIS) have expressed their joy. Students are showing their excitement as the holiday break is approaching, and they shared all of their holiday favorites.
The majority of EIS celebrates Christmas and Hanukkah, but there are a few people who celebrate more unique holidays. For example, eighth grade Spanish teacher Señorita Julieanne Jimenez said, “I celebrate Novena. On the last night of Novena, my family always Skypes our relatives from Spain and Colombia.”
“A novena is a Catholic practice, where you pray for nine days straight, and this novena counts down the nine days before Christmas. Most Americans have never heard of it, but in Colombia, it’s a big deal” (Acosta).
The most popular holiday movie among the students and teachers is Home Alone. “Home Alone is my favorite holiday movie because it is really funny and sweet,” stated Rachel Chalfant, an eighth grade student.
Breagha Boran, a seventh grade student said, “Home Alone is my favorite because it’s a classic.”
This movie isn’t only popular at EIS. “‘Home Alone,’ which became the highest grossing film of 1990, remained in the box office Top 10 until June 1991” (Chicago Symphony Orchestra). Many people all over the world enjoy watching this hit during the Christmas season. The second most popular holiday movie here at EIS is “Elf”, followed closely by “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
White elephant gift exchanges are a fun activity to do during the holiday season! Orchestra teacher Amanda Gant said, “We always do a white elephant gift exchange with my dad’s side of the family.”
White elephant gift exchanges are where everyone brings a gift and you take turns either picking from the pile of gifts in the center or stealing a gift someone already chose.
Another popular activity for the holidays is opening presents. Gabby Darsley, a sixth grader at EIS said, “Something my family does for the holidays is that our presents are a puzzle and we have to solve the puzzle.” This is a unique way of making opening gifts more fun!
One more thing lots of students love is snow. Many students enjoy playing in the snow, making snowmen, having snowball fights, sledding, and more. Seventh grader Hayden Scapicchio said, “I enjoy playing outside in the snow and throwing snowballs at my brother.”
There are even some crafts people make over the holidays. Spanish teacher Señora Reyna Martoccia said, “In my family, we always make decorations like ornaments, wreaths, and garlands.”
Students and teachers enjoy many special treats around the holidays. Gingerbread houses, Christmas cookies, latkes, eggnog, and hot chocolate are some popular treats. There are some students at EIS who enjoy other delicacies. Eighth grader Lila Spadaro expressed, “I love making chocolate covered foods with my grandma. We make things like chocolate covered gummies, chips, nuts, and lots of other stuff.”
“I love eating jelly donuts every year during the holidays,” said sixth grader Naomi Galil.
Molly Brenan, an eighth grader said, “I make cookies for the holidays. I like peanut butter cookies with Hershey Kisses on top.”
Music is a big part of the thrill of the holiday season. The top holiday songs at EIS are “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carrey and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee.
“‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ first came out in 1994, but it didn’t hit the top 10 until 2017, as streaming helped transform classic holiday songs into chart perennials. It first hit No. 1 in 2019 and has topped the chart every holiday season since — seven in all” (Thompson). This song is a big hit during this time of year.
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is another classic Christmas song. Eighth grade student, James Diamond said “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree is my favorite holiday song because I always listen to it and it reminds me of Christmas.”
These are only some of the students and teachers holiday favorites! This holiday season make sure to try some of these unique treats and watch some movies. Happy holidays EIS!
